Health chiefs tribute as Carlos loses COVID-19 fight

HEARTFELT tributes have been paid to a ‘quiet, gentle and respectful’ nurse at the Worcestershire Royal who has died of suspected coronavirus.

Carlos Sia, 62, was a healthcare assistant on Avon 4 but passed away on Friday (May 15) in the Royal’s intensive care unit where he had been cared for over a period of several weeks after falling ill, according to Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust.

Both his wife Cindy and daughter Clair work at the Royal and in a briefing to staff seen by the Observer, trust chief executive Matthew Hopkins said: “It is once again my sad duty to share with you the news that we have lost a colleague to Covid-19.

“Carlos had been with our Trust since 2015 and was much loved by his colleagues. His quiet, gentle and respectful nature, his generosity of spirit, his sense of humour and his calming influence also made him popular with patients.

“We have lost a valued member of our Trust family – and in Carlos’ case, the word ‘family’ has a special relevance as his wife Cindy works on Avon 2 as a Healthcare Assistant and his daughter Clair is a nurse on our Acute Stroke Unit.

“Cindy and Clair are particularly in our thoughts at this sad time, as are all Carlos’ colleagues who worked alongside him and those who cared for him through his illness,” Mr Hopkins added

Mr Sia is among more than 100 NHS staff to have lost their lives to the virus during the coronavirus pandemic.

Jodon Gait, 46, died from the virus on April 25 while Malvern-based nurse Julie Omar, 52, who worked at Redditch’s Alexandra Hospital died while self-isolating at home on April 10.

“Colleagues who worked most closely with Carlos have been offered support over the weekend but please remember that during this difficult time we are offering a wide range of support and counselling to all our staff,” Mr Hopkins said.

“We still have some way to go before this current outbreak is behind us, and I would again like to thank you all for the extraordinary efforts you are making for our patients.”

Trust chiefs confirmed a further person people had died from coronavirus at its hospitals yesterday (Monday) meaning 234 county patients who have tested positive for COVID-19 have now passed away.

The patients whose deaths have been announced so far were aged between 41 and 100 years old.

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